Asli Sultanate
|- |} |- The Asli Sultanate, commanly referred to as the Ali Khan Dynasty, was a sultante in the east of Dovani, named after the ethnic group of its dynasty, which ruled a substantial area of Eastern and Southern Dovani between the 10th century and the 23rd century. Origin In the early 10th century Aslibu was home to a number of small states and subject to frequent incursions by different tribes and invaders. The area was reunified under a Majatran Warlord, Mohammed Ali Khan I, the military General, who came from the eastern regions of Majatra that had grown wealthy and powerful from working for Emirs of different Majatran tribes. Mohammed Ali Khan I and his military self-exiled themselves from Majatra in search of a new home. They found such a place in the heart of Southern Dovani. Religion The Asli people had originally practiced a religious mix of paganism and other nomadic religions. Mohammed Ali Khan a Muslim, brought the word of the Prophet with him and in the year 925 the Khan Sultanate officially convertedto Islam, though many elements of the previous beliefs continued, barely regulated by the government. Expansion & Conflicts The Sultanate expanded rapidly at the expense of neighboring states. Its power extended over much of Southern Dovani. As the nation continued to grow, tensions with its neighbors to the north and east were rapidly increasing. Sultan Ali Khan I, in 943, defeated the last of the pagan warlords in Southern Dovani, leaving only the more united kingdoms in the north and east to face his new empire. Military Culture The armies of Khan I relied mostly on heavy cavalry: horsemen drawn from the nobility, armed with long scimitars as the toe stirrups they used did not permit the use of lances. These riders were armored with chain-mail while the horses were covered in thick quilts and copper headgear. A greater mass of troops were infantry who were composed of slaves, also carrying swords, although barely armored. This permanent standing army was garrisoned in castles and fortresses throughout the Sultanate. Reliance on a standing army meant that the armies fielded by the Sultanate were usually quite small, but highly effective against their less organized rivals. Society The sultanate was heavily divided along geographic and racial/ethnic lines. The society was divided into three main racial groups. The Majatrans, the Asli, and the slaves. There was a sharp division between those who were originally from the continent of Dovani and the rest of Asli. In the later centuries the native Asli rose in revolt under Ajib the Great. Ajib routed the Sultan of Asli, first turnign the mighty sultanate into a vassal and then nearly seizing almost the entire kingdom. The Khan sultanate regrouped under Ali Khan II, defeating Ajib in a pair of decisive battles. Eventually a compromise was reached whereby Ajib and his followers would rule the Sultanate together with the Khan supporters. This lead to peace between the Asli and the Majatrans who were seen as foreigners by many. Over time the Majatrans would become largely assimilated with the Asli. Economy The capital Aslibadi, prosperous through trade, hosted representatives from all over Dovani. The wealth and power of the sultans had long rested on the control of the economy. All caravans were controlled by the monarch, as was the gold supply that functioned as the state's main currency. In time this power was eroded. Foreign currencies became widely used by merchants breaking the power of the monarch to closely control the economy. The thriving trade created a wealthy class of educated and literate merchants, who read widely about Islam and became much concerned about the lack of orthodoxy in the kingdom. The monarchy of Khan had long been regarded as semi-divine, in keeping with ancient Asli traditions, but this idea ran strongly counter to Islam. Many festivals and rituals also persisted from earlier days, and a number them involved massive consumption of alcohol. These traditions were eventually abandoned later, under Sultan Ismail. Decline The Khan dynasty was at its peak for centuries, but starting in 2350 it began to decline as the power of the monarchy was eroded. In 2380 Aslinadi III was overthrown in a coup launched by a minority group called the Talmori. This group was descendant of the Likatonian colonists in Talmoria proper. The Talmori, backed by the military, installed another member of the royal family as a puppet sultan, while they remained in control. This began a long conflict between the Asli sultans attempting to reassert their independence and authority and the Talmorians attempting to maintain control of the true power of the state. These internal divisions greatly weakened the nation and in the early 2400s the Asli Sultante fell into a state of chaos. In 2430, the Sultanate was officially gone with many of the royal family murdered by the Talmorians. The state evolved into the Republic of Talmoria, later the Free Republic of Talmoria. The once powerful Asli people were now slaves to their new Talmori leaders. Rulers *Mohammed Ali Khan *Mohammed Ali Khan II *Abdu I *Abdu II *Abdu III *Aslinadi I *Abdullah *Aslinadi II *Hakimah I *Hakimah II *Amir I *Rabat I *Amir II *Unsa II *Amir III *Unsa III *Amir IV *Jamaal *Amir V *Amir VI *Aslinadi II *Rabat II *Asliniadi III Puppet Sultan *Mohammed Ali Khan III - 2380 to 2410, Sultanate later disbanded